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EEMINISCENCES 



OF THE 






LATE WAR. 



BY 



OAPTAE^ ALBEKT STE^E^S, 



GKEEN POINT, BROOKLYN, N. Y 

MARCH 4, 1881. 






I7< 2fv 



7 



IXTEODXJCTOEY. 



Green Point, Brooklyn, N. Y., / 
February 24, 1880. ) 

Captain Albert Stearns : 

Dear Sir : The undersigned respectfully request that you 
would prepare (either to be read or delivered orally) such of your 
own personal reminiscences of the War of the Rebellion as may 
be agreeable to yourself for the entertainment of "The Cousins' 
Sing" at some future meeting, to suit your convenience. 

We believe such reminiscences would prove exceedingly inter- 
esting to all of us ; and we take this method of solicitation, hop- 
ing that it will, overcome the "native modesty" which, with a 
less authoritative requisition, might lead you to decline the re- 
quest. 

We are, very respectfully yours, 

TIMOTHY PERRY, CHAUNCY PERRY, 

ALBERT L. PERRY, FREDERIC T. PERRY, 

M. F. PERRY, E. M. PERRY, 

LIZZIE H. PERRY, S. F. BARTLETT, 

W. A. BARTLETT, SARAH E. DAVIS, 

ABBIE J. BARTLETT, M. H. BARTLETT, 

CARRIE M. PERRY, CHARLOTTE T. PERRY, 

WM. VANDERBILT, A. C. PERRY, 

LOUISA M. DAVIS, J. N. STEAR^^S, 

ELLA L. DAVIS, MATTIE L. STEARNS, 

LOTTIE DAVIS, NELLIE G. STEARNS, 

ANNIE M. PERRY. GEO. H. PERRY, 

CHAS. E. PERRY, JOHN W. CUMMINGS. 



In pursuance of the foregoiug request the following '^ Re- 
miniscences " were read on the evening of March 4, 1881, 
and at the unanimous and urgent request of those present 
Captain Stearns subsequently consented to furnish a copy 
for publication. It is now printed under the direction of 
the signers of the above request, and will, as they believe, 
prove an interesting memento to all the friends of Captain 
Stearns and of Company C. 



EEMI]:^5'ISCEK0ES. 



IN relating the story of my army life it is proper that I 
should say, by way of preface, that much of my time 
was spent on detached duty, filling offices the titles to which 
are unknown to '^ Army Rules and Regulations," but which 
were rendered necessary by the state of martial law which 
prevailed in the South at that time. In this respect my 
story differs from most others, being a tale of army life be- 
hind the line of battle, showing, to some extent, a class of 
work that does not appear in general reports, but which 
must be well done to keep the wheels of war moving 
smoothly. 

I wish it also to be borne in mind that I am not attempt- 
ing to give a history of my company. I have not the neces- 
sary data in my possession for that purpose; but I will give 
you a narrative of my own individual experience, the duties 
attempted, the efiects produced upon those about me, 
coupled with some incidents coming within my personal 
knowledge. I shall aim to make all as correct as my docu- 
ments, letters, and memory will permit. I shall necessarily 
have to say much about myself, and am aware that to do 
this will leave me open to the charge of vanity or egotism ; 
but, as some of you appear to wish me to '' blow my own 
horn," you will pardon me if I happen to '' toot " a httle too 
loud. My story will be lacking in evidences of brilliant 
strategy, so necessary for a soldier's story. I desired while 
in the army to accomplish whatever seemed to be needed, 
and to do it in a straightforward, unassuming manner. De- 
tached duty came to me without being sought, or, indeed, 
wished for, because I knew it removed me from the chance 
of promotion, which is one of the greatest incentives to 
bravery, and which we should try to be worthy of without 
eagerly seeking for. 



6 Reminiscences of 

I deem it proper to state just here some of the reasons 
which prompted me to leave a position in the Police De- 
partment to accept one in the army which could not net me 
as large an income after meeting necessary expenses. Of 
course I am not unmindful of the fact that all citizens 
should feel that they owe a duty to their country which can 
he exceeded only by that which is due to the Maker ; but in 
my case there seemed to be reasons of an unusual character 
which urged me into the service. Looking over the circle of 
my immediate relatives in Green Point, I saw that we all had 
families dependent upon us for support ; but I believed that 
mine would not be likely to want for the necessaries of life 
in case of the loss or disabling of its head, and I take great 
pleasure in bearing testimony to the fact that my wife's par- 
ents assured me, before I left Green Point, that although 
they regretted the duty which I had imposed upon myself, 
still, in case of accident to me in the army, my family should 
not suffer want in consequence thereof. I have never 
doubted their will or ability to fulfil the promise. 

I realized the fact that men were needed at home as well 
as at the front. Public opinion had to be kept up to the 
requirements of the Government ; enthusiasm must be 
manufactured, if need be, in times of doubt or misfortune ; 
secession sympathizers at home must be met and thwarted ; 
the mob must be held in awe by the earnestness and confi- 
dence of the loyal masses. Others were perhaps needed at 
home; I was not. Again, heaWi was very much in my 
favor. I had hardly known a day's sickness. I felt that I 
was the only one among my immediate relatives who could 
endure the hardships of army life, and I still think I was 
right. Furthermore, my eight years' experience in the police 
service, its contact with the lower classes, so sure to find 
their way into the army, and its military drill, seemed to fit 
me for some small command in the army. All these, as well 
as other reasons, were calmly thought over by me, unaccom- 
panied by any '' war fever" or sudden excitement ; so that 
when, in July, 1862, the Police Commissioners undertook to 
raise a Metropolitan Brigade, our State being likely to come 
short other quota without a draft (which was very undesira- 



fhe Late War. 7 

blei, I felt that the time bad come for me to act, and I so 
decided before consultatiou with any one. The Commission- 
ers oifered a reward of two dollars to policemen for each 
accepted recruit. I knew that they could be depended upon 
to do whatever was promised to recruiting oflQcers. Others 
had not always kept their promises. So upon the following 
day I visited the president of the Board, Mr. James Bowen, 
afterwards brigadier-general, and asked him how many re- 
cruits I must procure to entitle me to a captaincy. He re- 
plied ^' one-half of a company— forty men." I then told him 
that I proposed to issue a circular offering to add three dol- 
lars to the two he had offered, to pay the whole five dollars 
upon the recruits being sworn in, and to wait for the Board 
to repay me the two dollars. It will be remembered that no 
bounties were paid at this time. I think the State allowed a 
small sum to each recruit for travelhng expenses. Mr. Bowen 
grasped me by the hand cordially, telhng me that I was just 
the kind of man he wanted, and bidding me go ahead and 
bring the recruits to his recruiting offices. Upon the next 
day my circular was in the hands of every Brooklyn officer, 
and recruits began to come in. I soon found that my five 
dollars was bringing a better class of recruits than the two 
dollars paid in New York; and, furthermore, as I was not 
an authorized recruiting officer, my men feared that they 
would be compelled to serve in other companies than my 
own— an event which I should have deplored as much as 
they could. I stated the case to Mr. Bowen. He at first 
pooh-poohed, but finally gave me a letter to Governor Fen- 
ton, asking that I be authorized as a recruiting officer. The 
next day found me in Albany. A visit to the Governor pro- 
cured the desired authority, and I then pushed ahead filling 
up my complement of forty men, and was requested to fill up 
a full company of eighty men, in which case I was to have 
the naming of my own lieutenants — a task which I accom- 
phshed in time to become the third senior captain in the 
brigade. 1 also recruited twenty-nine men more than my 
complement, thus giving me a chance to transfer some of the 
most objectionable to other companies, leaving me a picked 
lot of ninety-five men, who proved their superiority upon 



8 Eeminiscences of 

all occasioDS, being almost invariably selected for duty Tvhen 
a company was required that could be depended upon to 
keep sober and faithful. Upon the enlistment of my eightieth 
man I named Eugene H. Fales for first lieutenant, who was 
then out with the Brooklyn Fourteenth Regiment, and 
George E. Pinckney for second lieutenant. My company 
being filled up, I made my home upon Riker's Island, our 
recruiting rendezvous, spending the time in preparing my 
men for the duties before them. We were mustered into 
the United States service on September 9, lt^(j2, with only 
nine companies, so great was the need of men at the front, 
the tenth company following us some time later. On Sun- 
day, the 14th day of September, we embarked upon a 
steamer for Perth Amboy, N. J. I will here observe that 
the time passed in recruiting and at Riker's Island imposed 
upon me the severest mental and physical hardship of any 
duration that I found in all my army experience, as a pho- 
tograph taken at that time will testify. It was shown to my 
children a few weeks since, and they failed to recognize it. 
Nearly half of the regiment outside of my company was re- 
cruited from the New York City police courts, and the 
presence of a large squad of police was constantly necessary 
with the regiment at Riker's Island. They were visited by 
women whose skirts were lined with whiskey-bottles. In- 
toxication and brawls were of daily and nightly occurrence, 
and desertions were frequent. There was but little autho- 
rity exercised over them as yet by their officers, whose 
course sometimes lacked firmness. As an instance, upon 
one occasion, when I was officer of the day, it was ordered, 
in consequence of unusual disturbances upon the previous 
day, that no row-boats should be permitted to land visitors. 
A number of boat-loads were turned away, my own wife 
and her father amongst the rest. They returned to Green 
Point ; but most of the others loitered near, exhibiting the 
luxuries they had brought for friends, until finally the sol- 
diers, to the number of one hundred or one hundred and 
fifty, becoming exasperated, made a rush to overpower the 
guard on the dock, coming within ten feet of us in a solid 
body; but, seeing me there with revolver and raised sword, 



tlie Laic War. 9 

they stopped and sullenly retreated. They had, however, 
gained their [)oint, for the order was soon counteririanded — 
too late, however, for me to j^et the fruits and delicacies that 
were in the boat with my friends. I think that this little 
incident gave me an influence over the vicious elements in 
the regiment which I ne\'er lost, while it showed them that 
some of the superior officers could be frightened. I was 
glad when the time came for our regiment to be taken away 
from the evil influences of such city visitors, for I felt that 
life was as safe in front of a Confederate enemy as with such 
a mob when maddened by whiskey. In justice to my own 
company, now called Company C of the One Hundred and 
Thirty-first Regiment, New York Volunteers, I should say 
that they never disobeyed me, nor did any of them partici- 
pate in this riot. Over half of them were recruited from 
my home ward and knew my reputation for discipline. In- 
deed, I had feared that this would injure my prospects of 
raising a company; but I found it otherwise. The better 
portion of the community knew that ''discipline " tends to 
the greatest good of the masses, and their influence was ac- 
cordingly used in my favor, for no similar body of volunteers 
was ever raised in Green Point, and the sequel will show that 
they acquitted themselves in a creditable manner. 

Before leaving Green Point I was presented with a very 
generous purse by friends and well-wishers for the purpose 
of supplying myself with arms and accoutrements. I felt 
that a sword received in this way must not be disgraced. 

It was thought best that our men should not know the 
day of their departure, and few suspected it when, on Sun- 
day morning, September 14, we were ordered on parade in 
marching order. A large steamboat soon stopping at the 
dock, we were marched on board, trusty guards being sta- 
tioned at the gangways, and they then knew that they were 
on their way to the front. The excuses made for leaves to 
go on shore were numerous, but none availed. The day and 
sail down the bay were splendid, as was also the collation on 
board provided by noble-hearted citizens. Still, it was all 
shaded with a tinge of sadness, for we felt that many would 
never return. 



10 Reminiscences of 

I will here relate an iucident that came to my knowledge 
within the past year touchiDg upon one phase of suffering 
caused by the war which can never be measured, nor cau 
the lives lost by it be counted — I refer to the suffering of 
those left at home, the wives, children, parents, and friends. 
Being in conversation about the ease with which some peo- 
ple shed tears, especially ladies, I remarked that I never 
knew my wife to weep. Her mother, who was present, said : 
'' I have." I asked when. She replied: '^ When you left 
for the army." My wife had regretted my decision, but 
when she found that I felt it to be a duty she accepted it, if 
not cheerfully, at least with composure. She had prepared 
everything possible for my comfort, and bid the usual adieux, 
detei-mined that I should not bear or know her sorrows. 
But when she waved her handkerchief to me, as I passed 
from view at the nearest corner, the thought that she might 
never see me again proved too much for her, and she rushed 
into the presence of her oldest and truest friend to find re- 
lief for her breaking heart in tears. 

In due season the regiment reached Philadelphia, partook 
of a free lunch at the well-known "■ Cooper's Shop," thence 
by cars to Baltimore, where another nice lunch was provided 
by the Union citizens; thence by cars to Laurel Factory, a 
small railroad station about eighteen miles this side of 
Washington, which place we reached about eleven p.m. 
Monday night, consuming thirty-eight hours in going a dis- 
tance that can now be covered in about one-sixth the time ; 
the railroads had not then got fairly into military order. 
On our trip we had a good chance to study the loyalty of 
our men, for some of the companies lost as many as fifteen 
men by desertion. I lost but one. Our duty at Laurel Fac- 
tory was to guard the railroad; but it w^as of very brief 
diu'ation, for in four days wo w^ere sent to Annapolis, Md., 
to guard our own paroled soldiers who had been so ignomi- 
niously surrendered at Harper's Ferry. 

On October 7 I was ordered to proceed to Alexandria, 
Va., to recover a number of our nien who had deserted or 
straggled from the regiment on its way out. Thi«s gave me 
my first view of Washington City, then one vast hospital, 



the Late War. 11 

tbe sick occup3 ing even the balls of Congress. I spent a 
day in seeing tbe place and public bnildings, and tben pro- 
ceeded to Alexandria, stopping over nigbt in tbe botel wbere 
Colonel EUswortb was killed; and returning tbe next day 
witb twenty-seven of our men. 

At Annapolis sucb time as could be spared from guard 
duty at Parole Camp was spent in diilbng my company, in 
wbicb I took mucb pleasure, offering tbree prizes, two of 
tbem' to be silver medals, to tbe tbree men of my company 
who should excel in the manual of arms, to be competed for 
on the next New Year's day. 

On October 15 I was made president of a regimental court- 
martial, from w^bich military justice was dispensed at tbe 
rate of ''forty pounds of brick, to be carried in a knapsack 
eight hours," for intoxication, second offence. 

On October 20 I was placed in charge of a recruiting 
squad and sent home for recruits. My regiment being soon 
afterwards ordered to rendezvous at Fortress Monroe, T was 
recalled, joining my company on board tbe steamship Baltic 
at that place about November 29. We were soon transferred 
to the steamship United States, where the balance of our 
regiment were first quartered. We left Chesapeake Bay on 
December 4, there being fifteen steamships in all, and known 
as tbe Banlis Expedition. After a somewhat stormy voy- 
age of ten days we arrived at New Orleans, and tbree days 
later at Baton Eouge, my company being tbe first to plant 
colors on shore. We had expected a fight ; but the number 
of our transports, aided by a few shots from the gun- 
boats, caused tbe rebels to beat a hasty retreat. Upon our 
entry into the city nearly a third of tbe people fled. Splen- 
did mansions were in many cases left entirely deserted; one 
such, near which our pickets were at one time posted, must 
have contained five to eight thousand dollars' worth of pic- 
tures, with furniture to match, in a few days all were de- 
stroyed, being common prey for negroes or soldiers. Our 
regiment went into camp and performed light guard duty 
or drilling exercises at this place for over three months. 
We hero got our first taste of army life in tbe heart of the 
enemy's country, for the rebel ^' Camp Moore " was but a 



12 Reminiscences of 

few miles east of us and Port Hudson twelve to fifteen miles 
nortli, rendering vigilacce constantly necessary, a number 
of men being killed or wounded on the picket lines. We 
here experienced the annoyance of "being without letters 
from home for over forty days from the time we left Fortress 
Monroe, and a more homesick lot of men could seldom be 
found. Our friends never forgot us, but they did not know 
how to direct letters to us. After communications were 
once fairly opened a mail seldom failed to bring two or more 
missives to me, and every two or three weeks an armful of 
papers would come by express, sent free by a thoughtful 
friend. These were eagerly looked for by the boys of Com- 
pany C. 

For dwellings the men had shelter-tents, each carrying 
one piece, which was about five and one-half feet square, 
with rows of button-holes and buttons on three sides ; two, 
four, or six men would button together and make very com- 
fortable quarters, as tight and warm as possible without a 
fire^ust large enough for all to lie in and nothing to spare. 
Line ofiQcers fared no better, unless they burdened them- 
selves or servants with extra pieces of tent. 
' Army jokes helped to pass the time away. Some wag pro- 
posed to one of our captains — who, 1 think, had been a dock- 
builder — that the Mississippi River needed a pier at Baton 
Rouge upon which to unload the vessels constantly arriving. 
The captain hastened to the commanding general and pro- 
posed the subject to him, assuring him that the adjacent 
forests would furnish the needed timber, and he (the cap- 
tain) was just the man that could do the job. The general 
cast a pitying eye upon the officer, and advised him to re- 
turn to his command, and he would let him know when the 
Government wished any piers built out into the Mississippi 
River. Shortly afterwards that captain resigned; the spring 
season came entirely too early for him. 

In February, 18G3, our commanding officer, Colonel Turn- 
bull, resigned on account of ill-health. His loss was regret- 
ted by all. A parting sup[)er was given him, and; in re- 
sponse to the toast of '^ Home, sweet home," Lieutenant V. 
B. M. Bergen, a nephew of Police Commissioner John G. 



the Late War. 13 

Berf::eii, vcferring to the recent sea-sickness which the colo- 
nel had passed through, extended our sympathies to him 
upon the further ])rospect of "■ visions of fat pork, dipped in 
molasses and dangling from a string, tendered as sure cure 
for sea-sickness/' at the same time assuring him that we 
were '' going home overland." Lieutenant Bergen was one 
of the most talented and promising officers in our regiment; 
but he did not live to go home overland ; a hasty consump- 
tion determined the route that he must take, and his untime- 
ly death undoubtedly hastened that of his father, Tunis G. 
Bergen, Esq., which took place two months later. 

Upon March 3 an order was issued by General Banks 
for me to report for duty to General James Bowen, Provost- 
Marsbal-General. 

I went to New Orleans, and on March 12 was appointed 
provost-marshal of Iberville County, or Parish, as they are 
there called. It is located on the west bank of the Mississippi 
River, about twenty miles below Baton Rouge, the principal 
place being the city of Plaquemine, where I was to make my 
headquarters. I found this city had been a place of perhaps 
2,500 people, but then contained a little over half this num- 
ber. It was situated at the head of the Bayou Plaquemine, 
which takes its water from the Mississippi River, and so 
located in a bend of the river that its banks were constantly 
being washed away by the action of the water. Blocks of 
houses extending along the whole front were undermined 
and carried away just before the war, and I learn that still 
another block has been washed away since I was there. 
Upon commencing my duties I found that a provost-marshal 
was expected to be a sort of a combination machine — part 
sheriff and part pohce justice, something of a parson, father 
to all the i)lanters and mother to all the darkies, a general 
embodiment of all the civil authorities, backed up by all the 
authority of the army. It was the wish of General Banks 
that the colored people should be kept employed upon the 
plantations to save us the expense of providing for them, 
and his labor system was probably the most complete of 
any in the departments of the South within our lines. We 
went to Louisiana to stay, and, with brief exceptions, did 



14 Reminiscences of 

stay. The sugar and cotton plantations were cultivated by 
Northern lessees, if the owners had left, and much suffering 
was spared the negroes by thus making them self-support- 
ing. The planters depended upon me to keep their hands 
in good discipline, and their permits for supplies must bear 
my signature. The negroes looked to me to see that their 
rights were respected, and, when they found congenial 
sweethearts, to join them in the bonds of matrimony. The 
provost-marshal was expected to keep open house. He was 
a fixture, and reported only to the provost-marshal-general. 
His guard might be changed often, but /^e stayed. Officers 
travelling in places where hotel accommodations were want- 
ing expected to find a welcome at the provost-marshal's, 
and were seldom disappointed. In this way I made many 
very pleasant army acquaintances. My guard numbered 
thirty to forty men, and all were kept busy. Ofi'enders, 
both civilians and soldiers, had to be apprehended by them 
and punished by me. Their duties were often arduous and 
sometimes dangerous. On the evening of April 18 it was 
reported to me that a lot of goods had been landed on the 
opposite bank of the river six or seven miles below us. I 
knew they had no permit, and suspected them contraband of 
war. 1 sent a sergeant and squad of men at once to intercept 
them, intending to follow myself in the morning, as I had 
frequently ridden over the ground; but I was compelled by 
other duties to send a lieutenant of my guard. Crossing 
the river on a flat-boat, with his horse, he had proceeded 
but three or four miles when he found himself in front of a 
squad of guerrillas. He turned and retraced his steps, his 
fleet horse keeping him out of harm until he reached the 
place where his boat had been left, but it had recrossed the 
river. He hailed, and awaited its coming to him. My guard 
on the levee opposite him saw the rebels come up and fire, 
and saw him fall. He was robbed of everything valuable, 
and left for dead. A poor woman living near, finding him 
alive but seriously injured, bound up his wounds as best 
she could, and, with the assistance of a colored man, placed 
him tenderly in a skifi" and brought him to us. I thanked 
her kindly, and, knowing that she was in want of even the 



the Late War. 15 

necessaries of life, placed a ten-dollar bill in ber bands. 
Sbe took it, bat delayed recrossing tbe river. Finally sbe 
came back to me witb tears in ber eyes, saying: '' Captain, 
I bave an only son in tbe Confederate army, and sboiild be 
ever be womided I bope some kind person will do for bim as 
I bave done for tbis man. I cannot keep your money. I 
tbank you ) but it would burn in my pocket." Remonstrance 
was useless, and sbe went bome. Tbe lieutenant was 
wounded witb bucksbot, one of wbicb bad struck tbe 
temple. But be recovered, and returned to ligbt duty after 
a few weeks. Tbe sergeant and squad were captured and 
paroled. 

Amongst tbe plantations I found many in cbarge of wo- 
men, all tbe wbite men being in tbe army. Many of tbe 
planters at bome could ueitber read nor write. Ignorance 
seemed to be tbe order of tbe day, public scbools being 
almost unknown. Tbere were two cburcbes in tbe place 
tbat kept tbeir pulpits occupied ; one was Protestant, tbe 
otber Roman Catbolic. Tbe pastor of tbe former seemed to 
feel called upon to keep bis flock up to tbe secession stand- 
point by every means sbort of preacbiug it in bis pulpit, for 
tbat would bave closed bis cburcb. Tbe priest appeared to 
mind bis own business, and it was witb positive pleasure 
tbat I furnisbed escorts on some of their fast-days for con- 
siderable parties of bis people to come from tbe lines to 
cburcb and return in cases wbere passes were not permit- 
ted. Indeed, tbis difference in loyalty seemed to prevail 
between tbe two classes of clergy wberever I went in tbe 
Soutb. Some great influence seemed to operate on eacb to 
pull tbem in opposite directions on tbis question. 

I found on tbe part of tbe wbite people a very marked pre- - 
ference for New York officers and troops ; of course tbe pro- 
Tost-marsbal was bound to be well received everywhere, but 
tbis feeling was shown wbere no ofiicial difference existed. 
It was charged tbat otber troops seemed to take a wanton 
pleasure in causing unnecessary annoyance to Southerners 
wbere no good to their cause could possibly result. Upon 
one occasion, when tbe city was garrisoned by Eastern 
troops, some negroes brought in a report tbat tbe rebels 



16 Reminiscences of 

were advancinj2f upon tbe place in considerable numbers. 
Hearing the "long roll/' I repaired to tlie colonel command- 
ing, offering my services. I found bis men all under arms, 
and was requested by bim to bead a reconnoissance, upon tbe 
plea tbat I was better acquainted witb tbe roads. I gladly 
accepted, called for a squad of volunteers wbo could sit in 
a saddle, provided horses for tbem ; took a circuit of several 
miles, finding all quiet, tbe alarm having been caused by 
two or three paroled Confederates returning to their homes. 
Upon the next day tbe Protestant pastor above referred ta 
called on me and asked if I was aware that the Eastern 
troops had contemplated burning down the city had the at- 
tack taken place. I assured him that he must have been 
misinformed. He thought not. Upon enquiry I found tbat 
they had placed a pile of kindling-wood against an unoccu- 
pied bouse, with a view, as alleged, of "making a light by 
which to repel any attack. Had the fire been built the di- 
rection of tbe wind was such that much other property might 
have been burned, especially if bullets had prevented the 
use of buckets. I always disapproved of everything tend- 
ing to make unnecessary bitterness between tbe opposing 
forces, and such an incident as this would be used as an ex- 
cuse for the levying of ransom-money upon whole villages, 
as was tbe case during the invasion of Pennsylvania by tbe 
Confederates. 

My office was daily besieged by negroes seeking passes to 
the larger cities,where they would be safer, as they imagined. 
The older or more worthless tbe applicant the more impor- 
tunate he became. They were usually refused if places 
could be found for tbem at home. 

When the orders came to raise colored regiments the looks 
of the disloyal, whenever the subject was broached, seemed 
to indicate that they thought the depth of Yankee infamy 
had been reached. At this time nearly all able-bodied sol- 
diers had been ordered to Port Hudson. I was left with only 
a guard of thirty-five convalescents, none able to do full 
duty. I became the ranking officer. A company of Con- 
federate cavalry were hovering on our outskirts, being heard 
of within ten miles. Some of the provost-marshals more 



the Late War. 17 

remote from danger than myself fled to New Orleans. To 
add to my annoyance a quartermaster who had been detailed 
to open up a bayou for navigation left a company of colored 
soldiers with me, who were of no possible use in defending the 
place, only serving to invite the rebels in to massacre them, as 
I feared would be done. As an additional incentive to draw 
them in, an enterprising New Orleans trader sent a consign- 
ment of about twenty thousand dollars' worth of goods to the 
place clandestinely, expecting that he could '^ make it right " 
with the provost-marshal. I knew there were Confederates 
enough within two hours' ride to capture us with ease, but 
that my duty was to remain ; that General Banks would feel 
easier to know that our flag still waved on the levee in front 
of the city, as my post wns the key to that part of the valley. 
I discontinued the use of passes inland altogether, as a 
thorough picket guard could not be maintained with a force 
of less than two hundred and fifty men, giving it out that 
I remained simply to keep the negroes employed on the 
plantations, keeping up only a couple of picket stations on 
the main roads leading from the direction of the threatened 
raid. I procured transportation to Baton Rouge for the 
colored troops at the earliest opportunity ; also ordered the 
lot of goods to be taken at once back to New Orleans under 
penalty of being pitched into the river, for which ord*er I 
afterwards received the thanks of the owner, together with 
an order fora suit of clothes, which, under the circumstances^ 
I accepted to the tune of one hundred and fifteen dollars. 

On the afternoon of June 10 an acquaintance invited me to 
go out of town to spend the night. I declined. He was 
very urgent, and finally told me that if I wished to escape 
capture I must leave the place that evening. I replied that 
that was just the reason why I had determined not to go, as 
I hail already heard rumors of an intended raid into town. 
I knew that my informant was in the councils of the secession 
element, and I believed that nearly all wished me to escape 
danger. I made all the preparation possible with my 
thirty-five men, barricading the guard-house, but was not 
disturbed. On the next day the '' reliable contraband" 
brought in word that the rebels were falling back, so that night 



18 Reminiscences oj 

I slept at my hotel ; but at 6.30 a.m. was awoke by firing, 
and before I could dress myself two or three volleys followed 
in quick succession. By the number of shots I knew that a 
considerable force was in the attacking party. I hurried on 
a suit of citizen's clothing, and, running to the front door, I 
saw a dozen rebel cavalrymen. A look out of a side win- 
dow showed another squad on the side street, and soon a 
hundred rode past with a yell. Ee turning to my room, I 
threw my sword on the top of a wooden frame that sup- 
ported the canopy of my bed, then took the portraits of my 
family from a trunk and slipped out of a rear door, stopping 
to exchange glances with a rebel cavalryman posted outside 
the garden fence— lighting a cigar in the meantime, and 
willing to give him one had he thought to ask for it— then 
passing from his view around a stable, and concluding that 
the ''better part of valor "for me was to "keep shady" 
until the sun ceased to cast a shadow. I looked about for 
a place of concealment. My eye fell upon a summer- 
house a few feet distant, which was about ten feet square, 
boarded up about three feet, and the rest of the way up to 
the roof all open slats. Within was a very wide cypress 
plank laying against a narrow shelf on one side. Under 
this was just room for me to lie, only the building was 
already occupied. 1 think I said it was a summer-house. 
Yes, it was, and built expressly for the accommodation 
of turkeys and chickens. Into it I tumbled, regardless 
of feathers or the protests of the other roosters.. I was the 
biggest one of them all, only I didn't carry my feathers 
quite as high just then, and was not disposed to crow very 
much. Having concluded an amicable treaty of peace 
with the occupants within the coop, things resumed their 
wonted aspect. One big turkey of the masculine gender 
even had the audacity to roost on the plank under which I 
was concealed; but I didn't object, preferring to be '' gob- 
bled'' by him rather than by any of the gobblers who were 
then heard searching through the hotel, one of whom clanked 
his long sabre within twenty feet of me ; but neither I nor 
the feathered gobbler moved a wing. About nine o'clock a 
darky came running into the yard, saying in a low voice to 



the Late War. 19 

one of tbe servauts : '^ Hi, Sam, dars a gunboat comiu'." 
'^ Is dar ? " said Sam. '' Yes ; look out for fun.'' ^^ Yes/' re- 
plied Sara, '' it would be fun if one of dem big bullets sbould 
rip froo your body." Tben I lieard galloping to the rear, 
and soon the hoom I of a big gun saluted my ears, and an 
eleven-inch shell whizzed over my head, bursting in five 
seconds at the rear of the town. Others large and small 
followed in quick succession for five or six minutes, and then 
the firing ceased. I feared the boat was going away, but it 
proved to be time taken in turning her around so as to get 
headed up stream ; then she opened fire again, and it was 
the sweetest music I ever heard, for it sounded the notes of 
my liberation. 1 immediately started for the landing, three 
blocks distant, walking quite leisurely, so that strangers 
should not suspect my identity. At the levee I saw that the 
boat was the Winona^ commanded by my friend Captain 
Weaver, who had often dined with me. He saw my signal at 
once, gave orders to cease firing, and sent a boat ashore, tak- 
ing me and thirteen of my men who came down while I was 
waiting 5 the other twenty-two, with their lieutenant, were 
captured. I then learned that the attacking party num- 
bered about three hundred. Our pickets had been "gob- 
bled " up and the guard-house surprised. My men fired one 
volley, killing one man, wounding two, and then sur- 
rendered. Arrived on board the Winona, we lay in shore 
for a few minutes ; then, receiving word that the cavalry 
were returning, the captain determined 10 shell the town. 
The previous shots had been thrown over and beyond. He 
requested me to go up into the maintop to suggest the di- 
rection of shots. I did so, and about fifty more were thrown, 
consisting of eleven-inch and six-inch round shell and four- 
inch rifled shell. It was a novel sight for me away up there 
in the air, hearing the booming of the big guns below me, 
and seeing the shells circle up and then -down through the 
air. I had only to name the point and the second shot 
was almost sure to pass by or through it. Upon the 
cessation of firing I took my thirteen men, with twenty-five 
of the sailors, ashore and scoured the town. Finding no 
Confederates, I however captured the man that piloted them 



20 Reininiscences of 

into the place, and learned that the enemy were near by in 
considerable force with cannon. At the hotel my loom was 
completely gutted, everything of value taken except my 
sword, which they had not discovered. They had also cap- 
tured and burned two steamboats, wounding two of the 
hands, one of them mortally. We took the wounded men 
and re-embarked, sending them to Baton Eouge by a boat 
that soon passed, along with my despatches to General 
Banks; Captain Weaver also sending despatches to the 
naval commander. We lay in front of the town nntil the 
middle of the afternoon, getting only a cold lunch for 
dinner, as no fires are allowed on board while the magazines 
are open. I suspected that the rebels intended to raid down 
along the river, and knew that the only place to check them 
was at Donaldsonville, twenty miles below, where there was 
a small fort meagrely garrisoned. Captain Weaver took my- 
self and men to this fort, and in the evening I took a pass- 
ing boat for New Orleans. I reported to General Bowen upon 
arriving the facts of my losses, and my suspicion that the at- 
tacking party were a part of the brigade of General Green ^ 
and that they contemplated attacking Doualdsonville. 
Shortly afterwards the attack was made, as I had expected, 
commencing at two o'clock in the morning. But three gun- 
boats being at hand, they were treatedv to grape-shot at 
short range, leaving two hundred dead or wounded on the 
field. 

At New Orleans General Bowen directed me to " take it 
easy for a few days." I objected to lying idle in the critical 
condition of things. He then said I might go and see the 
post commander. General Emery. Upon repoiting to him he 
gave me orders to report at ''Convalescent Camp'' and help 
organize the men there, who consisted of such as could 
do light duty only and might be used in case of emergency. 
Keporting there on June 20, I found the camp in command 
of Lieutenant-Colonel Geo. H. Barrett, of Ashburnham^ 
Mass., who remembered me as having taken part in an ex- 
hibition at South Ashburnham eleven years before. 

Port Hudson having been captured, I was, on July 16, ap- 
pointed Provost-Sherifi' of the Department of the Gulf, my 



the Late War. ^1 

duties bein^ to take charge of all persons under arrest, both 
civilians and prisoners of war, General Gardner and the 
two hundred officers captured at Port Hudson being amongst 
the number. These were quartered in the Custom-House, 
and all had their side-arms. Visitors were permitted to see 
them constantly, and to bring food and luxuries. Liquor 
was so plentiful that one of their senior officers begged of 

me to stop its flow, or he could not be responsible tor the 
acts of piisoners with arms in their hands. 

On August 5 I was ordered back to my regular station at 

Plaqueraine, but stopped only eight days, the troops being 

withdrawn for the raid towards Texas. 

Returning to New Orleans, I was ordered across the river 

to Alo-iers as provost-marshal for a few weeks, pending the 

movements of troops through that place for the Teche cam- 

^^On October 3 I was appointed Assistant Provost- Marshal 
of New Orleans. During my stay there several events of in- 
terest to me occurred. One was the grand review of troops 
by Generals Grant aud Banks September 4, about twenty- 
fiVe thousand men and sixty-four pieces of artillery being 
in line. The review was followed by a dinner given in honor 
of those generals by a wealthy citizen, to which I had the 
honor of an invitation. 

My wife and two children also arrived in October, adding 
much to mv happiness. 

I also visited the spot where Jackson distinguished him- 
self in the final battle of the war of 1812. The fortifications 
were still as he left them, consisting of a straight breast- 
work three miles long, on top of which the cotton bales were 
strung along, the seizing of which caused General Jackson 
so much annovance afterwards. The works extend Irom 
river to swamp, having a ditch tilled with water in the front. 
An unfinished monument about sixty-five feet high stands 

near the spot. 

On October 24 I was ordered to relieve Major Porter as 
provost-marshal of three parishes, with office at Brashear 
City, one hundred miles west of New Orleans, where I re- 
mained ten and one-half months. The duties were about 



22 Rem in iscen ces of 

the same as at Placiiiemiue. Haviog my wife and childreD 
with me, and boarding in a private family, added much to the 
comfort of the situation. Shortly after reaching this post 
ray eldest child, Mattie, who had been suffering from a cold 
for some months, was taken worse. We had hoped that the 
change of climate would bring her relief, but none came. 
She died of pneumonia on December 28, aged four years and 
seven months. She had endeared herself to all our officers 
and friends, and many kindly sympathies were extended to 
us. We took her remains to New Orleans and had them 
enclosed in a metallic casket ; took a last look of her lovely 
form, beheviug that ''it was well with the child"; then 
ordered their shipment by first boat home, where they ar- 
rived and were tenderly cared for and interred by affec- 
tionate friends and mourners. 

My own regiment was at Brashear City most of the time. 
The visits of the officers made evenings pass very pleasantly. 
Many troops were also passing through, stopping here 
usually a day or two for transportation. Brass bands and 
serenades were abundant, during which the provost-marshal 
was seldom forgotten, and a?waj/s expected to "stand treat. '^ 
The winter evenings were enlivened by an occasional so- 
ciable given at the headquarters of some of the colonels or 
by the provost-marshal. 

I here had my first chance to notice the effect of arnjy 
Iffe upon negro soldiers, there being two or three regiments 
present for considerable lengths of time. I had previously 
found them very wilhng to enlist, but had my doubts about 
the advisability of so employing them ; otherwise I should 
have sought authority to raise a regiment for myself. They 
proved very tractable ; took great interest in the drill and 
pride in keeping their trappings bright and clean ; were 
willing to labor upon fortifications, or at anything that 
seemed to aid in their liberation from slavery. 

They learned to read rapidly, each regiment having a 
school for their benefit. When overtaken by sickness, how- 
ever, they seemed to lack moral courage with which to com- 
bat disease, and an order for one of them to go into hospital 
was almost tantamount to ordering his coffin. This caused 



the Late War. 25 

me to (l(Hibt their courage upon the field of battle. When 
we received a visit from Secretary Stanton's adjutant-gene- 
ral, Thomas, I was curious to know his views on this subject. 
He assured me that "a number of colored regiments had 
been employed about Vicksburg and elsewhere, and that 
those regiments furnished about the only instance thus far 
in this war where the opposing forces had crossed bayonets, 
and that colored soldiers had actually been found dead with 
a dead Confederate in front, and each pierced by the other's 
bayonet." Few such instances occur, for the days of brute 
force in warfare have nearly passed away. A cavalry horse 
cannot be made to approach a line of bayonets. Soldiers 
will usually break their line before crossing bayonets, and 
then the poorest line must go to the rear. 

On New Year's day, 1864, the prizes offered for competi- 
tion in the manual of arms to my company over a year be- 
fore were awarded, two of the three going to Green Point 
men. 

Early in the spring of '64 General Banks ordered that 
public free schools should be estabhshed throughout the de- 
partment, creating a Board of Education to organize them. 
A visit from one of the board, Mr. Wheelock, and a state- 
ment of his wishes, caused me to take hold of the matter, 
and I soon had four schools in successful operation, being 
the first, as I was told, outside the immediate vicinity of 
New Orleans. I received many compliments from the board 
for my efforts in their behalf; and when it was rumored that 
I was to be relieved, to accompany my regiment North, they 
wrote a very earnest letter to the department commander 
asking my retention at Brashear City. 

The colored children were very eager to learn, many of 
them coming three or four miles to school, often two hours 
ahead of time. They made good progress in reading, writ- 
ing, and in the simple rules of aiithmetic ; then they broke 
down. A thousand was to them ^'a right smart lot," and a 
million could not be made to seem more. 

Brashear is a city in a swamp, having Berwick's Bay on 
one side. A boat is there as necessary to a family as a horse 
is here. Alligators were plenty. 1 have counted sixty-three, 



24 Jxeminiscenres of 

var\iug in size from eight inches up to eight feet or more iu 
length, while on one trip in the cars from New Orleans. I 
had one for a pet which was about four feet long, but it had 
a vicious propensity for opening its jaws and crooking its 
tail around, which death alone completely conquered. It 
was kept chained to a stake on the sunny side of my office, 
■with a sugar-house kettle sunk into the ground for a bath- 
tub. I was much interested one day by the way in which an 
old colored man handled this alligator. The man was per- 
haps sixty years old, with long, scanty gray locks, tall, slim, 
muscular, and withal very bandy-legged. He had run away 
from Texas, bringing his wife and boy with him. The wife 
was young, quite the reverse of her lord in stature, being 
^' all up iu a heap " — a regular '^ duck of a darky '" — and, to 
add to her other charms, very cross-eyed. The boy was 
about six years old, knock-kneed, cross-eyed, and his height 
was probably exceeded by his circumference. The father 
was as black as the proverbial "ace of spades"; the mother 
was a mulatto. The father had evidently seen alligators be- 
fore; the others had not, and he was showing them how easy 
he could handle one. With a firm grasp upon the small end 
of the reptile he would pull it back, then push it forward ; 
next, with a twist, he would throw it over upon its back, 
and again upon its feet, to the great amusement of the spec- 
tators. Finally he turned around to explain to some of my 
guardsmen how he had been brought up in Louisiana and 
sold to go to Texas, where his wife had always lived. While 
this conversation was going on his boy was slyly trying his 
hand at alligator- taming. He boldly caught hold of its ex- 
tremity with both hands and gave a tug backwards. Find- 
ing the scaly creature immovable, he essayed to push it for- 
ward, and met with surprising success, for it had by this 
time evidently made up its mind to see who was trifling with 
its tail, which just then doubled up like a jack knife, carry- 
ing the little fellow along with it, he being too thoroughly 
frightened to let go until he saw about eighteen inches of 
cold teeth affectionately opening to receive him ; then, with 
a scream of fright, he attempted to jump over its body, 
caught his toes in the protruding spines of its back, rolled 



the Late War. :2o 

beels over head to a safe distance, tben picked himself up, 
showing a perfect picture of bhick-and-tan terror— knees 
knocking together, arms extended, mouth and eyes fringed 
with white, hair on end, or as near it as circumstances would 
permit, and screaming at the top of his voice. The fond 
woman, realizing how narrowly she had escaped from being 
the mother of an alligatoi's dinner, soon joined most heartily 
in the chorus, while the husband, as soon as he understood 
the situation, wound his bony arms about her caressingly, 
saying: ''Now, don't, Dinah! now, don't! Sure de good 
Lor' 'ud nebber hab brung yer all dis long way ter freedom, 
had he 'tended'to send yer chil'less to de grabe." Taken al- 
together, the scene formed a most interesting series of tab- 
leaux. 

During my intercourse with these people I found much to 
amuse and more to cause sadness, especially when I thought 
of their immediate future. They were universally loyal and 
true to the old flag. I never knew or heard of an exception 
to this rule, and I firmly believe that without their aid in 
the secret service, as well as when in uniform, we could never 
have won the contest. 

Sailing on Berwick's Bay was a favorite pastime, of a sum- 
mer's evening, for both blacks and whites ; the former with 
their log "pirogues" or "dugouts," their colored sweet- 
hearts and songs of freedom, the latter often with sail- 
boats and instrumental music. 

Gunboats were always present or near at hand, being ren- 
dered necessary by Confederate raids on the opposite bank 
of the bay, where there was a small fort manned by colored 
troops, whom the rebs took especial delight in annoying. 
Probably a dozen times were we regaled by the crack of 
their rifles and the answering " boom" of cannon from the 
fort, usually happening at dusk in the evening. At first my 
wife would become nervous, as our house was close to the 
bay and the fort within easy rifle range ; but finally she 
seemed to enjoy with the rest of us seeing the gunboats 
slip their anchors, pass up and shell the woods; then all 
would become quiet, and we would retire for the night. 
Captain S. B. Washburn, a brother of the celebrated Con- 



26 Reminiscences of 

gressional trio, was in command of the naval forces in those 
waters, and in return for helping ^Irs. Stearns eat a roasted 
pig — I think it was on the 4th of July — he, a few days later, 
invited her and myself to a gunboat ride. We were absent 
with him all day; saw plenty of alligators, but no rebels; 
went ashore and shot an ox for a supply of fresh beef ; burned 
a saw-mill that had been used by the foe; sighted a sugar- 
house said to be the headquarters of a guerrilla band, and, 
hoping they might be ^' at home," Captain Washburn in- 
vited Mrs. S. and myself into ths pilot-house, and ordered a 
big gun to be trained upon the building. The shell, a six- 
inch one, exploded a little to the right and too quick. The 
bank? of the lake were too high for the gunners to see the 
mark, so they took their directions from the captain on the 
upper deck. The second shot was sent '' two points to the 
left, cut the fuse one second longer," and it seemed to ex- 
plode just in front of the building. This was my wife's first 
and only experience in action. 

In time the provost-marshal's court became the favorite 
means of punishing recreant soldiers or sailors. His orders 
upon the paymaster for a stoppage of part of their pay for a 
certain number of months were always respected. The 
severest sentence I ever imposed was one year's confinement 
on the Dry Tortugas for robbing the mail-bag, which in this 
case was a common oat-sack. 

Upon the advance of General Banks's forces up the Teche 
country many Confederate prisoners passed through my 
hands, also all invalids and convalescents of our own 
troops. 

Brashear, being an important post, was blessed with fre- 
quent military reviews, when every soldier was expected to 
look his prettiest. Upon one occasion the troops were all re- 
viewed by the District Commander, General R. A. Cameron, 
who enjoyed the enviable distinction of having tried three 
bushwhackers in Missouri by drum-head court-martial, and 
shooting them, thus putting a most eifective stop to guer- 
rilla warfare in his district. The general, having occasion, 
after the review, to remain over night, took tea with the 
post commander, and accepted an invitation to spend the 



the Late War. 27 

night under my roof. It was decided, ratlier late in the 
evening, that he should be assigned the parlor, which was 
the room then used as a sleeping-room by myself, wife, and 
our infant Flora. Arriving rather late, the general with his 
aid, after a brief smoke on the piazza, retired to this room ; 
a vocal serenade by some singers of my company then en- 
tertained them for a half-hour, after which my wife and 
self retired to another sleeping apartment. Upon lifting the 
curtains to our bed I missed the infant. Calling upon Mrs. 
Stearns to explain the deficiency, I was greeted with '' Oh ! 
my, the baby is in the general's bed." Tapi»ing lightly at 
the door, I found they had not yet retired. Excusing myself, 
I assured them that it aftbrded me great pleasure to furnish 
them with bed and board, but I could not contract to supply 
the babies. 

At the table next morning the general assured Mrs. 
S. that she was according him "entirely too hearty and 
homelike a welcome." 

During the spring and summer of '64 the "contraband'' 
business was particularly good with us. They would come 
in singly, in pairs, and by the steamboat load ; they would 
"run away from massa,'' steal a rowboat, paddle along by 
night, hide in the swamps or fish for food in the daytime 
and finally reach their desired haven, the protection of the 
grand old stars and stripes. Then there would be rejoicings 
loud and long. Their numbers would increase on our hands 
to such an extent as to be really burdensome. A negro vil- 
lage would spring up within our lines like Jonah's gourd, 
and all apparently anxious to do something for the good 
cause. Camp-meetings were almost constantly in progress. 
It took but little to make them happy. " Massa Lincum and 
the Pro' massa " were about the only Union officers they knew 
of. Both came in for a large share of their prayers, and 
they were most intensely in earnest both in their songs and 
prayers. Men and women would become crazed with re- 
ligious fervor, dash themselves down on the floor, or into the 
fire unless restrained, and cut up the most fantastic antics. 

Occasionally the younger portion of the laborers on the 
plantations would ask permission to have a ball, especially 



28 lieminiscences of 

on occasion of the "harvest jubilee " just after tlie sugar- 
cane was all cut. Then the sweet lasses would appear in all 
the gorgeousness of gay ribbons, white gloves, low-necked 
dresses, bare black arms, and white slippers. Our soldiers 
enjoyed such scenes very much -, sometimes I did myself. 
The slaves' sun of happiness seemed at meridian height. 
They were glad to forget the black clouds in the east, and 
could not see the almost equally dark shadows in the west 
•which were yet to obscure that orb. A little slit of sunlight 
and warmth was all they got. Alas ! when will they be able 
to receive and we to give them the benefits of all that we en- 
joy ? 

In the early part of May our communications were threa- 
tened by the rebels, and they also appeared in considerable 
numbers on our front. I took my family to New Orleans, 
where they remained about four weeks, returning after the 
danger had passed. 

Early in August my regiment was ordered to accompany 
its division to the Shenandoah Valley, and all detached ofiicers 
thereof were ordered to rejoin their commands. The order 
to me was dated August 5 ; but I had hardly received it by 
mail before a telegram came revoking the order. Shortly 
afterwards I received a copy of a very flattering letter, sent, 
unsolicited, by General Cameron to the provost-marshal-gene- 
ral, in which be asks my retention, saying : " The Government 
can ill- afford to lose the services of so valuable an officer, 
whose known loyalty and energetic application to the duties 
of his ofiQce are invaluable in that place." 

I was retained for another month, until after a pending 
election, if T remember aright, for which I felt very thankful, 
as my wife was seriously ill with sw^amp-fever at that time 
and all through the month of August, but during the first 
week in September gained strength. T/^ew I was glad of a 
chance to take her home; and, furthermore, I knew that a 
desperate attempt to crush out the rebellion would be made 
during the coming autumn and winter, and I wished to be 
" in at the death." I could not bear the thought of being 
mustered out without having passed through one battle. My 
wish was ijratified ! 



the Laic War. 29 

Aly fiual order of relief was dated September 9, 18()4. My 
wife was just able to ride the one hundred miles to New Or- 
leans, tbe quartermaster in charge of railroad placing an 
apartment in his private car at ray disposal. Passage to New 
York was secured for our party. My wife recovered strength 
as soon as our boat touched the salt water of the Gulf, and her 
appetite was such that she never missed a meal during the 
trip, though a three days' storm of considerable severity 
drove every other lady from the table. With this exception, 
the voyage was unusually agreeable. We had our first view 
of a genuine water-spout ; several whales spouted their wel- 
comes to us ; porpoises were abundant and frolicsome ; even 
the little '' Spanish men-of-war" raised their fragile sails, 
showed their colors gleaming in the sunlight and comprising 
all those found in the rainbow, thus saluting the Stars and 
Stripes as we passed. 

Arriving safely at home, a brief call upon friends, some 
needed purchases for a winter outfit, and I was oft" on my 
way to my regiment in the Shenandoah Valley. Applying 
at Harper's Ferry for transportation, I was ordered to assist 
in organizing a provisional division, made up from the va- 
rious hospitals, of all soldiers able to do light duty, and de- 
signed to strengthen Gen. Sheridan. I here took a sad in- 
terest in inspecting the engine-house in which John Brown 
took his famous and foolhardy, though perhaps providen- 
tial, stand against the whole power of the slave oligarchy. 
We also, on the march out, passed the prison at Charleston 
where he was confined and hung. His soul appeared to be 
still marching on. 

Arriving at my regiment on Cedar Creek October 13, I 
found quite an artillery duel going on, our army all being 
under arms. I was placed in command of Company C at 
once. The next day I made some slight changes in the list 
of non-commissioned officers, witli a view to increase their 
efficiency, then settled down to camp-life, the throwing up 
of breastworks being the order of the day just then. 

On the morning of October 19 my division was ordered on 
a reconnoissance to test the accuracy of a rumor that the 
rebels had fallen back from our front. We were readv to 



30 Rerninisccnrcfi of 

start at five o'clock, but, some delay occurring, did not then 
get off. At half-past five we were surprised by bearing a 
heavy fire of musketry about three-quarters of a mile dis- 
tant on our left. Volley after volley was poured into our 
Sixth Corps before they could return a shot. Thus com- 
menced the famous battle of Cedar Creek. Its history has 
been written too often and ably to make it prudent forme to 
make the attempt, for you all know how the surprise resulted 
in a four mile retreat, with a loss of many men and cannon : 
also, huw, on the arrival of Sheridan, the crippled army faced 
about and administered a most crushing defeat upon the foe, 
recovering all our lost cannon and many more, also captur- 
ing "everything else that went on wheels." My own com- 
pany numbered thirty-two enlisted men present for duty, 
and two detached to another part of the camp, who were 
never afterwards heard from. Being good and faithful men, 
I count them as killed in action. My regiment probably 
numbered two hundred and twenty-five present for duty. 

A battle of this kind is fertile in incidents ; every soldier 
present can tell them. One such I will relate, showing the 
feeling with which good soldiers regard a coward ; stating, 
by way of preface, that almost every company has its skul- 
kers. The enterprising skulker will do any quantity of drill- 
ing or digging, but he can smell the battle afar oft'. He is a 
TQg\\\iiYhuUet-haromeier. An approaching battle is sure to 
be preceded on his part by some terrible stomach-ache or a 
congestive chill that can only be healed at the hospital, so 
he ''heels it" to the rear. If the battle is the result of a 
surprise to him, as at Cedar Creek, his fertility of resource 
never deserts him. 

On this morning, when our division had fallen back about 
one and a half miles and were lying down behind a rude 
breastwork improvised from a rail fence, with the enemy 
throwing four-inch shells into our part of the line, a mounted 
squad of provost-guard happened to be marching a lot of 
skulkers back to their respective regiments. One of these 
was hobbling along far in the rear, regardless of the blows 
from the back of the guard's sabre. Just at this moment a 
shell struck the ground in front of my company, spattering 



the Late War. ?A 

us with dirt, ricocheted over our heads, sti'tick and bounded 
again, then struck this loitering coward square in the 
back, felHQg him in an instant. A cry of ''Served you 
right ! " and a burst of laughter from a thousand throats 
was all the sympathy he got. 

During the afternoon, after Sheridan had marched us 
back towards the rebels about two miles, we were halted in 
a woods for nearly two and three-quarter hours waiting for 
the final charge. Being fatigued with the unaccustomed 
exercise, I here lay down and took quite a nap. An oc- 
casional shell whizzed over or burst near us. Lieutenant 
Henry, of our regiment, was mortally wounded near me at 
this time, but I felt just as safe asleep as awake. 

On the final stampede of the enemy we passed over the 
ground where the severe fighting of the morning had taken 
place. In passing one little piece of woodland I counted in 
one place the bodies of eleven Confederates lying in a row 
covered with old blanliets— a most ghastly dress -parade. 
Near by lay six others prepared in a similar manner for bu- 
rial. The enemy, supposing us too badly punished to do 
them further harm, had ordered their burying details out 
to clear up the field ; but ive cleared the field for them. Com- 
ing to those portions of the field where our own soldiers had 
been mown down in the morning, many of them were found 
in a nude state, especially the ofiicers, the superior quahty 
of whose clothing had tempted the cupidity of the enemy. 
Many of our wounded lay uncared for just as they had fallen 
early in the morning of that cold day. A little beyond the 
location of our own camp was the spot where the Confede- 
rates had established one of their temporary field hospitals. 
I saw on the next morning over a dozen amputated limbs in 
one pile, and nearly as many more a few yards distant ; this 
sight caused a worse shudder to pass through me than any 
of the previous day, for my nerves were surfeited with the 
work of the day of battle ; now I shunned the sights. 

The record of Company C in this action is as follows: 
Time under fire, five hours. Number in action, including 
myself, thirty-five; number killed or missing in action, 
three: number wounded, including myself slightly, eight. 



32 Reiiiiiiisceiice^s of 

Total casualties, eleven— being over thirty-one per 'cent. 
As the enemy fled past our old camp we left their further 
pursuit, at about half-past five o'clock, to the cavalry, and 
marched into our morning's camping-ground, entering which 
my company numbered in enlisted men present for duty 
sixteen, being just one-half of the whole regiment then pre- 
sent bearing muskets. If any other company from this city 
can beat this record I shall be willing to award its comman- 
der and members all due honor for the disciphne and cour- 
age necessary to accomplish such results. My colonel and 
lieutenant- colonel rode up before dismounting and com- 
plimented me upon the manner in which I had fought my 
maiden battle, and a friend afterwards told me that I Was 
favorably mentioned by my brigade commander in his re- 
ports to divisiofi headquarters. 

Early the next morning large details were made to look 
for the wounded and bury the slain. The method of proce- 
dure was as follows: A picket hue of soldiers would be 
formed, which surrounded the whole of the battlefield— in 
this case a space five miles long by three wide. Each would 
then be ordered to advance in a direct line to their camj). 
In this way all the ground would be covered, and as they 
approached a common centre would gradually close up, so 
that men could be spared to assist any found wounded or to 
bury the dead. Some brigades would enclose a plot with a 
rude fence, burying all of their own within it for future re- 
moval if desired. At the same time our brigade was ordered 
out towards Fisher's Hill to "feel for the enemy" or pick 
up any straggling parties that might have loitered by the 
way. Returning on the 21st, when within a half-mile of 
our camp I was surprised by seeing our friend Mr. John N. 
Stearns. The meeting was as agreeable as it was unexpect- 
ed. A walk over the field during the afternoon and in the 
evening listening to the music of a dozen bands or looking at 
the lurid lights from a circle of camp-fires three or four miles 
in circumference, with him for a companion, formed a very 
desirable framing to the exciting pictures of the previous 
three days. He shared my shelter-tent that night, and to- 
gether we visited the ''hero of the day," General Sheridan, 



the Lale 10/r. 33 

on the next morning. Departing, be took my letters liome, 
leaving me a very snbstantial double blanket and other 
things by which to remember his very welcome visit. 

From this time until January G the days were spent in 
guard duty and trying to keep comfortable, as the weather 
was quite cold and the ground covered with snow most of 
the time. We changed camp three or fotfr times, getting 
nearer Winchester each time. 

Having considerable leisure, I conceived the idea of a peti- 
tion to Congress asking that the pay of officers be increased 
— that of the enlisted men had risen fifty per cent.; ours was 
the same as at the beginning of the war. I visited the com- 
manders of every division and brigade in the Army of the 
Shenandoah, not forgetting General Sheridan, who, being 
absent, was represented by his adjatant-general. Showing 
them the draft of the proposed petition, all wished me to go 
abead, and Major-General Torbert urged me to '^ hurry up." 
I guessed the cause, and lost the signatures of three or four 
hundred officers, who were ordered away before I could get 
my printing done. Obtaining a leave of absence, I went to 
Harper's Ferry, got the blanks printed, returned, sent du- 
plicates to every command in the army. In due season all 
were returned to me, and when bound together made quite 
a formidable document, containing the signatures of over 
nine hundred officers, ranking from lieutenants up to major- 
generals. A copy was sent to each House of Congress. Hon. 
John A. Kasson, acknowledging their receipt, wrote me : ''It 
will give me pleasure to be the medium of presenting a peti- 
tion of so many gallant officers of so gallant an army." I am 
not aware that any other organized effort was made to secure 
this object, though I sent copies to every army corps. I ac- 
complished what I sought, and gained a host of friends 
thereby, for our pay was soon increased about thirty-three 
per cent. 

On January 6, 1865, our division was ordered to Balti- 
more, at which point our regiment embarked on the steam- 
ship 7//moJ5 January 12, finding a well-known Green-Pointer, 
Mr. Campbell, in charge of the steward's department. We 
reached Savannah, Ga., on the 20th, and on the same day I 



34 Jieminiscenccs of 

was sent for by Major-General Grover, commaudiD.i;- post, 
and asked if I would like to take charg-e of the street depart- 
ment of Savannab. Of course I accepcerl tbe offer, and tbe 
necessary order was published on the 22d. I found good 
quarters as a boarder with the family of one of Savannah's 
ox-mayors, and found plenty of work in organizing a depart- 
ment out of nothing to begin with. I found that the city was 
located on a plain at the top of a steep, sandy bluff fifty feet 
high above the level of the river. Along this bluff were located 
the principal warehouses, most of them being five stories in 
height on the river side and but two on the other, so ar- 
ranged in connection with the bluff that a cart could drive 
-into either of the four lower stories — an advantage I have 
never seen elsewhere. Tbis bluff is worth milhons to the 
city when viewed from either a commercial or sanitary 
point of view. Ttie location and soil of the city are very 
favorable for health, but that dread plague, yellow fever, is 
feared every summer. My duties at first were quite onerous. 
Tbe city must be cleaned up at once or Yellow Jack would 
be upon us. Tbe mayor and several physicians called at my 
oflQce, begging me to hasten. I invited suggestions from 
them at all times. I procured a detail of soldiers ; divided 
tbe city into inspection districts; an enlisted man was sent 
into each, directed to call at every house, exhibit bis orders 
to inspect the premises, and look into every cellar, yard, and 
outbuilding; if refused admission, note the number of the 
house :ind pass on, making a note of all nuisances or carts and 
cart harnesses. I organized blacksmiths', wheelwrights', and 
carpenters' departments, stables, etc., and in ten days had 
things in good working order. Sherman's cavalry and artil- 
lery bad converted her numerous and beautiful parks into sta- 
bles covered with piles of manure ; the city sewers appeared 
to have been neglected for months, or even years, being in 
some instances much worse than useless ; the sidewalks had 
been overlooked as well as overrun ; pavements were found 
torn up in places, tbe stone having been used, it was said, to 
ballast and sink old hulks in the river's channel to prevent 
the approach of Federal vessels, the same as we, for an op- 
posite purpose, sank them at Charleston — though, in the 



ihc halt' ^^'ar. -55 

former case, Albion did not protest against the outrage upon 
the sacred rights of friendly nations. Reference to one of 
Diy monthly reports shows the loUowiug duty done during 
that mouth : 

Total number of dayb' labor o,165 

Total number of loads of garbage removed 5,577 

Total number of loads of manure removed 5,478 

Total loads 11,055 

Costing $1,0:]5 40 

Number of employees 222 

Number of carts and liorseg 37 

in addition to 18 Government mules. During the month of 
February 512 dead horses and mules were removed and 
buried. The poor creatures had been brought in by General 
Sherman's camp-followers and actually starved to death 
They could not live on sand, and would be turned into tbe 
streets when almost dead. My men would select sucb as 
looked promising, put them into my stables, and in time I 
had a fine lot of animals ; those not wanted being driven to 
some suitable field, there shot and buried. Those so dis- 
posed of are not included in the above 512, and must have 
exceeded that number. I soon had the city in better order 
than ever before ; I even had time to do ornamental work. 
Savannah is called the '^ Forest City," on accoimt of the great 
number of shade-trees. Some of her streets have four rows 
of magnificent trees: two in the centre, lining a promenade, 
and the otiier two on the sidewalks. I had the trunks of all 
in the streets whitewashed foi- seven feet up from the ground, 
one monthly report showing over 6,200 so treated ; the efiect 
was very fine. I also whitewashed the fi\e-story brick ware- 
houses all along the river's front, making quite a tidy con- 
trast with their moss-covered condition— one monthly report 
showing nearly 11,000 square yards so covered. 

General Grover seemed to feel quite proud of my success 
at sleeking up, and my request to be permitted to accom- 
pany my regiment to North Carolina was returned with this 
endorsement : '' The interests of the public service will not 



36 llenibiiscenccs of 

admit of tbis request being granted at present." To quiet 
the citizens I gave the newspaper reporters memoranda of 
the work accomplished in my department from time to time. 
Upon one Sabbath raorniog I received a note from the com- 
manding-general saying that General Grant's inspector- 
general had just arrived, and he wished I could submit a 
detailed statement of the labors performed in my depart- 
ment for him that evening, similar in plan to those given to 
the newspapers. I had it prepared for him in due season. 
On one occasion when General Wilham T. Sherman was in 
town I was sent for to go to headquarters, and was there 
informed by General Grover that General Sherman had paid 
me a very higli comphment by saying that he had ^' never 
before seen the city in such a holiday attire." It will be re- 
membered that Sherman in his younger days, when a cap- 
tain, had commanded the garrison of Savannah. I find in 
his report to General Hallock of this visit, published in 
Nichols's '' Story of the Great March," he says that hG 
^' found the city in the most admirable police" — ie., cleanli- 
ness. 

Savannah was never more healthy than during that sum- 
mer. 1 had no hesitation in asking my wife to come to me^ 
bringing our daughter Flora with her. Having, through 
the kindness of a friend, obtained the needed pass from 
Washington, they came out about April 1. We found plea- 
sant boarding-houses, took many rides about the city and 
out to Bonaventure, a beautiful grove of oaks draped with 
Spanish moss, on a beach five miles distant, and all went 
merry as could be wished while Sherman was taking his 
Atlantic promenade and Grant was hammering away at 
Petersburg. 

The citizens soon found that the Yankees knew how to 
keep a Southern city healthy, and they seemed to feel that 
my labors were for their especial benefit. The two daily 
papers of Savannah vied with each other in complimenting 
my etTorts in their behalf 

The way in which the city was surrendered to General 
Sherman, and the behavior of the leading citizens afterwards, 
all tended to create very pleasant relations between them 



the Late War. ;57 

and the Uniou forces. An illustration of this occurred 
at ruy office in South Broad Street. A lady called uj)on 
some matter of business, and during the conversation, no- 
ticing that she possessed unusual culture, I asked how she 
had fared at the hands of our soldiers. She hesitated a 
moment, and finally related this experience : She was the 
wife of the Confederate General Blank (the real name I 
have forgotten), who was a graduate of West Point. Just 
previous to the capture of Savannah his command was in 
the city. They had all heard the wildest rumors about the 
evil propensities of Sherman's Yankee soldiers, and that 
their war-cry was '^ Beauty and booty ! " So, when her hus 
band told her that the Confederates were to evacuate the 
city that night, she begged to be taken with him. It was 
impossible ; but in lieu thereof he gave her a note to a Union 
general known to be with Sherman, and formerly a class- 
mate at West Point, asking that such consideration would 
be accorded to his wife and infant as might be thought pro- 
per by a victorious army. About noon of the day that 
the Federal troops entered the city she gave this note to a 
colored man, with orders to find the general to whom it was 
directed; and she sat down to await the result, not doubting 
but that she would be sent out of the city, and intending to 
be thankful if nothing worse happened to her. The messen- 
ger returned in an hour, reporting that he had found the 
general's headquarters, but he was then absent ; au aid had 
promised to hand the note to him upon his return. Her 
ears were constantly greeted by the noise of drums, cavalry, 
and cannon passing over an adjacent street, and she waited 
tremblingly, in doubt whether it would not have been better 
to have kept the note and concealed her identity. At four 
o'clock a squad of soldiers passing up her street stopped in 
front of her home ; one stepped upon the stoop, and an offi- 
cer touched the door-bell. Now she knew that her time had 
come. A servant answered the bell. She heard her name 
called. She determined to meet her fate, whatever it might 
be, with a dignity becoming the wife of a Confederate 
general. The officer was shown into her presence in the 
parlor, and he asked if this was Mrs. General Blank. She 



38 Reminiscences of 

arose from' her chair, sayiDg : " It is." The officer gallantly 
lifted his cap, sayiug General So-and-So ''sends compli- 
ments to Mrs. General Blank, and also a soldier to act as 
her safeguard. If she will be pleased to furnish him with 
quarters in her house his rations can be drawn from his 
company." The sudden change from a sense of danger to 
one of safety was more than her nerves could bear. She 
dropped back into her chair and wept. The officer quietly 
withdrew. The soldier remained, and she found him not 
only a gallant and brave soldier, but a gentleman and a 
scholar. He did not draw his rations from his company, 
but ate at her own table. In telling me this story the mois- 
ture in her eyes attested its truthfulness, as well as the men- 
tal sutfering she must have passed through. She could not 
but speak in the highest praise of the discipline and order 
of the Union troops, and such was the testimony of nearly 
all I met. Occupied houses were protected, deserted ones 
were occupied. I took the elegant mansion of the rebel 
General Henry E. Jackson, an ex-United States Minister to 
Austria. My soldiers read his books; perhaps some went 
home with them. His piano went to the apartments of the 
commanding general's adjutant, whose wife touched its keys 
in the absence of its owner. 

The spring of 1865 will be remembered as a season of vic- 
tories for the Union army. Upon the occasion of the cele-. 
bration at Fort Sumter General Grover placed a fine 
steamship at the disposal of his staff officers, which took 
them there, first stopping at Hilton Head to give us an op- 
portunity to attend a grand ball given by General Gillmore 
on the evening of March 12. I saw Rev. Henry Ward 
Beecher at the post. He told me it was the first time he 
had ever set foot upon the '' sacred soil." Arriving at 
Charleston Harbor, we were surprised at finding ourselves 
the recipients of grand salutes from the navy and forts, all 
the gunboats " manning their yards." It was a beautiful 
sight. Tbe cause was made clear upon reaching the land- 
ing and seeing an aid from the commanding-general await- 
ing our arrival with compliments for the Secretary of the 
INavy, who was supposed to be on board. Hacks and tow- 



the Tjitr War. ' :59 

boats were gratuitously placed at our disposal for sif;lit- 
seeing, aud freely used during tbe two or three days that we 
remained. 

Time passed on, and tinally came the welcome news that 
the war was at an end. My regiment was ordered home. 
I was relieved to accompany it by a very complimentary 
General Order, dated July 21, from which I clip the fol- 
lowing: ''The general commanding, in relieving Captain 
Stearns, feels compelled to tender his high appreciation of 
him as an ofiQcer and his entire satisfaction with the man- 
ner in which he has conducted the duties of his office." 

Then followed a very pleasant sail home with my family 
and regiment, a parade up Broadway, escorted by a city 
regiment, during which I received an ofler from Police Com- 
missioner Bergen of a captaincy in the Metropolitan Police 
Department should I choose to return to its ranks. 

I had omitted to state that Captain Corsa, of our regiment, 
was a nephew of Police Commissioner Acton, so that the 
Board was kept well posted on my army record. This offer, 
so considerately tendered, coui)led with the solicitations of 
family and friends, determined me to remain North. I had 
intended returning to Savannah and leasing a plantation. 
More recent events have shown how unwise this would have 
been. The parade was followed by a feast at the Union 
Club-Rooms, a sail to Hart's Island, and a final muster-out 
on August 3, 1805, being thirty-seven days short of our 
term of enlistment, our men receiving eleven months' pay at 
that time. Money was now plenty, but it had not always 
been so with us, and almost every officer and soldier had 
been compelled to run in debt to the sutler. As ho was 
settling up with the officers, I jokingly said to him : '' You 
have never had my name on your books." " Yes, Captain, 
I have," he replied. '' When ? " " Once when you offered a 
fifty-dollar bill that I could not change," was the reply. 

Thus I closed my army life, as I hope for ever. Its memo- 
ries bring some sadness and also much pleasure to me, for I 
was followed by the love and esteem of friends at home, and 
accompanied by the respect of my superiors in the army. I 
cannot feel otherwise than thankful for all. 



40 Reminiscences of the Late IlV^r. 

My compaDy was mustered out with the following credi- 
table record of those first mustered in. Later recruits are 
notiucluded iu this list : 

Number taken from Riker's Island 95 

Of these there were killed in action 6 

Missing in action, prohably killed 1 

Killed in an affray 1 

Killed by accident 1 

Died of wounds received in action 2 

Died of disease 7 

Total deaths 18 

Or nearly 20 per cent. * 

Such a record should satisfy the most punctihous as to the 
fighting qualities of Company C of the 131st New York Vols. 

Much might now be said about the observed effects of 
army life upon the character of the soldier. I entered the 
army feeling weak, having always had wise friends to go to 
when in need of advice. I came out feeling that I could 
hold my own with the average army officer. 

The ''horrors of w;ir ' have often been depicted both by 
pen and pencil, but still you really Ixnow but little aoout it. 
You have never had a victorious enemy march past your 
door, and God grant that you never may ! 

I will close by thanking my friends of those days for the 
good offices, the sympathies, and the kindly wishes that 
were so acceptably tendered to me upon all suitable occa- 
sions during my service in the volunteer army of our beloved 
country. 

* All with one exception unmarried men ; the married seeming to be 
under providential protection. The single exception was our esteemed 
friend, Hubert H. Booth, who died the night before we reached home. 



t 80 



ROSTER 



OP 



Co. C, 131ST ReGT,:N. V.VOLUiNTEEKS, 

As it left New York City, September 14, 1862. 



<iuent promotious are also noted. 



Captain Albert Stearns. 
Commissioned as Major. 

First Lieutenant Eugene H. Fales. 

Commissioned as Captain. 

Second Lieutenant George E. Pinckney. 

Promoted to First Lieutenant, Co. " B." 

Orderly-Sergeant Robert W. Reid. 

Promoted to Lieutenant, Co. "D." 
SERGEANTS. 
Hubert E. Booth, George W. Kelsey, 

George H. Davis, George Pearson. 

Promoted to Quartermaster-Sergeant. 
Commissioned as Lieutenant. 

con FOB A LS. 

Tonas Cheshire Jr.. Edward Northrup, 

Jonas Cheshne ..^^^^ ^ ^^^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^'^rTtTf.^^^ 

afterwards transferred to In-salid 

Charles W. Weeks, corps. 

Promoted to Sergeant. William A. Parremore, 

Walter E. Lomas, William Sherlock. 



42 



Reminiscences of 



PniVA TES. 



Augeniner, George. 
Ayers, Henry, 

Pi'omoted to Orderlj'-Sergeaut. 
Booth, John. 
Barry, David, 
Beir, Frederick, 
Brown, David, 

Killed by accident. 
Callaghan, Edward, 
Campbell, Michael, 
Canava, James, 
Carme, Joseph, 
Clarl', Clement, 
Clayton, James, 
Clous, John, 
Connors, Michael, 

Killed in an affray. 

Conway, James, 
Corwin, George E., 
Coryear, George, 
Counter, Olive, 

Promoted to Sergeant. 
Davis, John, 
Dickson, James, 
DoBiECKi, Joseph A., 
Duer, Charles, 

Promoted to Corporal of Co. " D.' ' 
Duff, James B., 

Promoted to Sergeant. 

Dugan, Thomas, 
Ebert, Henry, 
Edwards, Richard, 
Faherty, John, 
Francis, John W., 
Gesmer, Isaac, 
GiBBiNS, George,^ 
Harrington, Jolm, 
Haven, Joseph P., 
Hill, Roswell, Jr., 

Promoted to Corporal. 
Hillier, Edward, 
Hillier, Daniel, 



Hillier, Da«iel T., 
Hindle, Frederick, 
Hoffman, William, 

Promoted to Corporal. 
Johnson, John, 
Jones, Benjamin, 

Promoted to Sergeant. 
Jones, Thomas. 
Kayser, Frederick. 
Kelly, James, 
Kelly, Thomas, 

Promoted to Corporal. 
Kennady, Martin, 
Kenney, Theodore W., 
Kiepler, David, 
Kimmerly, Frederick 

Promoted to Corporal of Co. " D . ' 

Knoeller, William, 

I KOBERG, AdOLPH, 

' Kreller, Frank, 

] Lamprecht, August, 

' Lawrence, Charles W., 

McCabe, Michael, 

McGuire, James, 

Moran, John. 

Murray, James, 

Missing in action; probably killed. 

; Ogden, Isaac, 

Promoted to Hospital Steward. 
i Peaseil, Henry, 
Peterson, Christian, 
Peterson, Henry, 
Pewtner, George E. , 
Pitcher, William., 
Reeves, Peter W., 
Reils, Hen rich. 
Saxton, Richard, 
Sehank, Joseph, 
Sheppard, John, 
Sherwin, George, 
Smith, Peter, 
Thoma. Blasious, 



the Late War. 



A'^ 



Thompson, John, 
Tic lienor, Eugene, 
Titus. Asa T., 

Promoted to Sergeant. 

Tuers, Cornelius T., 

Promoted to Corporal. 
Vanderveer/William, 
Wallace, Patrick C, 



Walters/Stephen. 
\Veeks, Lafayette B., 

Promoted to Corporal. 
Whitman, Andrew, 
Williams, Thomas, 
Woodcock, Charles, 
Young, Charles L., 

Promoted to Sergeant- 



Younff, David. 



ROSTER 

OF 



RECRUITS MUSTERED IN AFTER NOV. 1, 1863. 



PRIVATES. 



Stack, Adolph, 
Torrey, Charles E., 
Van Steinberg, Thomas, 

Promoted to Corporal. 

Vinghara, Henry, 
Vreeland, Johx, 
Wall, James. 

Missing in action ; probably killed. 
Williams, Charles, 
Wilson, Andrew, 
Wisson, August, 
Wolff. Casper, 
Yage, John, 
Zulch, Henry, 
Hooper, George H., 

• Colored Cook. 



Ackerman, William, 
Cameron, Henry, 
Charvin, Paul, 
Collins, John, 
Entries, Joseph, 
Heath, John, 
Hennis, John, 
Johnson, Henry, 
Johnson, Robert, 
Kiley, nomas, 
Meenan, James, 
McCune, Patrick, 
Moore, Patrick, 
O'Brien, Michael, 
Rinehart, Rosier, 
Royal, Charles, 
Semazon, Aristide, 

The company participated in the battles of Irish Bend, Ver- 
million Bayou, Donaldsonville, and the long siege of Port Hudson ; 
also, the battles of Opequan Creek. Fisher's Hill, and Cedar Creek, 
having men killed or mortally wounded, and many less serious 
casualties, in almost every action. The severity of the duties 



44 Eeminisccnces of the Late War. 

performed and the unhealthiness of the Southern climate are 
mainly chargeable with the death of seven by disease, and ren- 
dered necessary the discharge of thirteen for disabilities incurred 
in the service. A number were transferred from the company by 
promotion and otherwise, so that the losses from all causes 
amounted to fifty-one, leaving but forty-four enlisted men of 
the original ninety-five on theroster at the final muster-out. 



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